Boxing Chatter

Guinn meets Tony “The Tiger” Thompson (27-1, 17 KOs) in yet another challenge on Wednesday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. The fight card is promoted by Goossen Tutor Promotions and CKP. It will be televised on ESPN2.

Like the heavyweights of the past, the Jerry Quarrys, the Jimmy Ellises or the Eddie Machens, the Arkansas native desperately seeks worthwhile opponents who can give him the ring smarts for the ultimate challenge. He wants the heavyweight championship of the world.

“That’s my dream,” says Guinn (26-3-1, 18 KOs), who had an extensive amateur career of more than 180 bouts. “I want to be the undisputed world champion.”

That’s why he readily accepts all fights.

“I like staying busy,” he said.

While most heavyweights quickly feign deafness when asked to face James “Lights Out” Toney, it was Guinn who gladly accepted the challenge of meeting the former middleweight, super middleweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight world titleholder.

“It was a good because I learned a few things from James Toney in that fight,” said Guinn who lost to the master boxer by a wide margin but was satisfied to soak up the knowledge. “I liked fighting him toe-to-toe. He thought I was going to come out and run. I felt I had enough power to do that. I didn’t want to go toe-to-toe but I hurt my ribs the day before the fight.”

After the fight, despite the loss by unanimous decision, Guinn was secretly excited inside.

“I just like the competition,” he says. “It’s fun.”

Guinn eagerly seeks out the best opponents and tries to beat them with science, not brute force.

Now training in Los Angeles with veteran trainer Joe Goossen, the fighter known as the “Southern Disaster” has met four consecutive top tier heavyweights and been victorious only once. That came against former Olympic gold medal winner Audley Harrison last April. The two losses were against elite heavyweights Toney and Sergei Liakhovich who beat him narrowly a year and a half ago in New Jersey.

“I’d like to fight Sergei first,” Guinn says. “But it doesn’t matter ‘cause I want to fight all of the world champions eventually.”

De La Hoya Still Pondering Retirement

In case you haven’t heard, Oscar De La Hoya announced he will not be fighting on Sept. 16 as first hoped. Instead, he plans to wait until making a decision to retire or fight. If he chooses to fight, it will be against Floyd Mayweather Jr. during Cinco de Mayo in 2007.

“When I announce it, it’s going to be for sure and there’s no if and no buts,” said De La Hoya during a telephone conference call last week.” I will continue to reflect on that decision without any outside pressures.”

De La Hoya, who was coming off a stirring victory over Nicaragua’s Ricardo Mayorga last month, said he did not want to be forced into accepting a match when he wasn’t even sure about returning to the ring.

The odd man out, for the moment, is Mayweather Jr.

Should De La Hoya decide to return to the ring, it will definitely be against Mayweather Jr. though that fighter’s father is the trainer for the Golden Boy.

“That’s the only name that’s out there,” De La Hoya said, adding that he needs motivation to train for three months. Mayweather Jr. is considered the best prizefighter in the world today. “Yes, I realize Mayweather can beat me. But the thing is, I realize I can beat him.”

De La Hoya said that Marco Antonio Barrera will fight Rocky Juarez in a rematch on Sept. 16 in Las Vegas. Barrera won the first bout by close decision in Los Angeles last month.

Ghost gets revenge

Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero scored a sixth round knockout victory last Friday over Gamaliel Diaz who beat him last year. This time Guerrero proved the hungrier fighter and knocked down Diaz quickly in the first round and subsequently dropped him for good in the sixth.

Guerrero regained the NABF featherweight title he lost to Diaz this past December.

“I just wanted to prove I’m a throwback fighter,” stated Guerrero in a press release on Monday. “Nobody wanted to fight Diaz, so I stepped up to the plate.”

Unlike his first fight, Guerrero did not rely on the one-two combination that the veteran Mexican fighter Diaz figured out immediately. This time Guerrero shot out of his corner in the first round, fired a one-two, then followed that with a double jab and a left hand that caught Diaz by surprise and dropped him for the first time in his career. Later in the round he was felled again by a shot to the shoulder while off-balance. It was the beginning of the end for Diaz. After five more rounds of trading haymakers, Guerrero found a weak spot on Diaz’s body and floored him with a left hand to the middle of the stomach a la Bob Fitzsimmons. Diaz was counted out.

“Everyone said I was taking a big risk for fighting Diaz so soon. But to me, I wanted to prove to the fans that I will fight anyone at anytime,” Guerrero said. “Most fighters are protected and take the easy road to the title.”

Guerrero recaptured the NABF featherweight title he lost to Diaz last December.

Dirrell brothers win

It may be time to increase the competition level for Andre and Anthony Dirrell who both won by knockout.

Anthony, 21, blasted out James Morrow after 1:37 passed in the first round at the Oakland Arena last Friday. It was Anthony’s ninth knockout in nine pro fights.

Older brother Andre, 23, needed three rounds to hand Marcus Hall his first pro loss. After unloading several combinations at blinding speed Hall had seen enough and simply plunked himself on the floor. It was Andre’s fifth knockout in eight fights. He remains undefeated. Both brothers are super middleweights.

Mia Loses to Mrdjenovich

Mia St. John lost by decision to Jelena Mrdjenovich in a 10-round bout for the WIBF world lightweight title and Jeannine Garside and Lisa Brown fought to a majority draw at Edmonton, Canada in a junior lightweight contest held on Friday June 23.

St. John was upset at the local newspaper that quoted her in the story though she did not interview with them after the fight.

Percival and Lovato sign for July 21

Fontana’s Heather Percival and New Mexico’s Monica Lovato have signed to meet each other on July 21 at the Morongo Casino, according to Albert Franco of Two Feathers Promotions.

Percival was slated to meet Melinda Cooper but apparently the two parties couldn’t agree. Now Lovato, a talented fighter out of New Mexico, will meet Percival who is considered one of the top bantamweights in the world.

It’s been a pretty tough year for the skillful Percival who’s experienced several bouts fall through. Though only a pro for two years, she’s shown a willingness to meet anyone at any time in her weight class. She trains out of the Fontana Boxing Club under the tutelage of experienced trainer Larry Ramirez. She’s a good one.